Making artificial marble.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' ERNST EBERHARD HIPPE, OF COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

MAKING ARTIFICIAL MARBLE.

'Tocll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST EBERHARD HIPPE, sculptor, a citizen'of Denmark, residing at. Dronning Ilgas Vej N0. 7, Copenhagen, Denmark, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Making Artificial Marble, of WhlCh the'following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a method of making artificial marble or stone of gypsum by which is attained a roduct, the appearance of which has a strfidng likeness to the natural marble or stone, and by which the inconveniences are avoided which are connected with the hitherto known methods for the same purpose. When making artificial marble or stone of gypsum according to this method, the gypsum can either be used in uncolored state, or colors can in suitable manher be a plied in the mass of sum for roducing the designs or figures, w ch are c aracteristic for the diiferentsor'ts' of marble or stone. The color-design can be applied to the gypsum in such way that onl the surface is colored or so that the who e mass is penetrated wlth the colors. r 1

According to the present method plates or I other objects, such as architectural plastic objects of everykind, as

res, vases and the like, can be made of art' cial marble or stone of gryspsum. When making such plates, there is t produced a suitable plate-of g Sum, colored or withoutcolors, such as is esired. The produced gypsum-plate is slowly dried in a drying apparatus at -95 (C) and is then slowly "dipped into a hardening-bath.

This is composed of resin and etroleum, and kept melted at 90-95 C. esin melts only at 120-140 0., B adding petroleum the melting point of t e mixture is lowered so much that it is still fluid at 95 C. The dipping into the resin-bath lasts for about 20 minutes or a less time, according as the plate shall be impregnated toa greater or less degree. B way of promoting the penetration of the ardening-fluid the gypsumplate can also be'placed in a vacuum-reservoir and the air can be sucked out of this,

whereupon the fluid is introduced and pressure effected by pumping the air out. The

plate thus.- impregnated is then heated toabout 8095 C. for about four hours, whereby the impregnating-fluid, if the plate is not entirely penetrated, is furthermore s read and enetrates deeper into the materia ,and, besi es, the petroleum eva orates.

Heating and drying is est effected in a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 4, 1905. Serial No. 281,362.

kilne surface 0 marble.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

drying-canal which can be arranged in such Way, that several g sum-flags can be placed u on a stand side I aced on a tray rovlded with rolls andoan be driven throug the canal. The running ofl resin is accumulated in a basin and can'be used again'later on. The stand, on which the flags are placed, is at theu per part provided with a hook, which can e seized by a crane, and by which the whole stand with the plates can be let down into the bath and moved back into the drying-canal. In this way 20 flags can be dipped at the same time into the bath.

The bath is prepared by melting at first the resin and then adding the petroleum. It is therefore adequate to provide the resinkettle with an'oil-mantle, which facilitates the regulation of the tem erature, which side. This stand-is,

must not exceed 95 C. If t 's temperature in the bath or the drying-canal is exceeded, the material will get brittle.

If colors are used for coloring the gypsum, these Will only after hardening with the resin appear distinctly. The g sum-plate being cast on a smooth glass-p ate the surface is smooth, and by merely rubbing with felt or the like a nice polish is therefore immediately attained, especiallyif the flags are made of doubly gypsum (Estrich-gypsum). In order to raise the effect of the olish a shellacpolish can also be used, or t e surface can be ground with stone.

For the gypsum-flags there can be used the different sorts of gypsum to be had in the market. The ordinary, coarse, and cheapest gypsum for building purposes glves flags,

which es ecially have the fine transparent According to the porosity of the different sorts of sum, these absorb more or less resin. T e coarse gypsum absorbs most and gets the nicest appearance, whereas the finer description of gy sum absorbs less. On the other hand t e plates made of fine gypsum doubly or strongly 'kiln'ed get stronger than those made of coarse gypsum, but here also the peculiar, transparent surface of the, marble is attained, though not to the same degree. By submitting! a plate, before the gypsum is entirely stiffened, to pressure by means of a press, the same can be made-still stronger.

When usi doubly kilned gypsum. it s necessa rate itse on the surface ofthe plate a r kilned stucco-gypsum or strongly to a low the wall-saltpeter to se a- .ever, often that salts crystallize on the surface, which is a great lnconvenience.

In many instances it can be suitable to add to the resin some oily or fatty substance such as wax, paraffin, spermaceti, or stearin. By using one or several of these substances there can be attained other important technical qualitites, to wit the plates can stand alcohol and can better resist pushes and strokes, and

- these substances are specially adapted for made, the surface of which the imitation of bright marbles, as resin renders the marble too dark. On the other hand petroleum eflects with resin only in very porous gypsum the highest hardening. Also imitations or inlaying of other s cies of marble or stone in a plate can be mail in this way. The inlays thin tin-molds consisting of vertically standing tin strips. The gypsum in the molds can also be submitted to pressure, by which the mass gets specially strong, a part of the water being at the same time pressed out and bubbles being driven out.

A short time before the material is entirel stifie'ned the molds are carefully removed and the-remainder of the colored gy sum, which shall form the plate, in which t e inlaying is laced, is poured on. Instead of using a p ane glass-plateas support, bowed glass-plates, glazed clay or other material wit]; a smooth, not. porous surface can be use By the use of adequate molds there can according to the above described method be made architectural plastic objects of eve kind, as figures and vases, and the like. When making many plates it will often be suitable to harden the used gypsum for longer time; for this p ose glue-water is'adequate.

By the metho described above an artificial marble or stone can consequently be has a striking likeness with the natural marble or stone, as well with regard to the design of colors as to arefirst cast separately in.

the transparency. On account of the mode of hardening the flags made according to this method have only an insignificant absorbent capacity. Therefore they stand humidity much better than other similar flags. Pouring water daily for a long time on the flags does not at all influence these flags] They have besides the favorable technical quality, that they are bad conductors of electricity so that they are adapted for buildings of iron & steel constructions.

Theabove specified method of hardenin by di ping into a resin-bath can also be used for ates or other articles of magnesite or similar substances.

I claim;-

1. The herein described artificial marble or stone which consists in dipping an article of gypsum into a hardening bat comprising resin and petroleum ke t in a melted condition and allowing the liquld to penetrate the article, and. then heating the article as described for thepur ose s clfied.

2. The herein described metflod 0 making artificial marble or. stone which consists in dip ing an article of gypsum into a hardening bath comprising resin and. petroleum to which has been added a fatty substance as described, the various substances being kept in a melted condition, allowing the liquid to penetrate the article and then heating the article as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The herein described method of making artificial marble or stone which consists in first forming the article of gy um, andsubject' it to ressure before't e gy um has entire y hard ened, then dipping t e article into a harde petroleum k t in a melted condition, allowmg the liqui to penetrate the article and then heating the article as described for the purpose specified. I p In testlmony whereof, I have signed my method of making bath comprising resin and r name-to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNST EBERHARD IHIPE.

Witnesses C. HOHNELIN, A. CHRISTENSEN. 

